


Fate: Hero's Lament

by OmniRorek



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, RWBY
Genre: Action, Adventure, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, F/M, Gen, Multiple Crossovers, Mystery Character(s), Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-14 22:24:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18485650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OmniRorek/pseuds/OmniRorek
Summary: Jaune finds an ancient ritual circle, accidentally summoning a masked woman in blue armor. Vale is thrust into a conflict unlike any other. As seven pairs of Masters and Servants fight to grant their wish, a mysterious warrior from another world challenges Jaune and Ruby's ideals, forcing them to question what it means to be a hero.





	Fate: Hero's Lament

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Firstly, I'd like to thank you for giving this story a chance. I originally posted this to ff.net but I figured I should post it here for more exposure (and cause I crave validation). I'm pretty new to AO3, so I'm still a little unsure on how posting works here completely, so let me know if I should change something for the next update. Also, I had to manually go through and redo all of the parts that were italicized, so some internal thought might be in italics unfortunately. I'm not gonna say much about the story, since I want people to go into this with a fresh start, but even if you don't know anything about Fate/stay night, you can still understand and enjoy this story.

0o0o0o0o0

Deep in Emerald Forest, two forms blurred through the trees at an impossible speed. Clashes of steel on steel rang through the night, echoing into the woods. The pair of figures stopped in a clearing and continued their battle. Sparks rung with each hit of sword upon sword. They left craters in the ground from the force of impact between their blades. Two figures, one clad in red and one in blue, raced around each other, looking for an opening. The warrior in blue, seeing one, swung her sword with lightning precision, going for the left flank. The knight in red seemed to read her plan before she even set it in motion, as one of his blades appeared to miraculously block her strike out of nowhere.   
  
The warrior in blue retreated before her opponent could capitalize on her mistake; her speed outclassed his by a large margin. Despite the difference in speed, however, she couldn't land a single solid hit on him. She held up her blade horizontally in a ready stance in case he decided to go on the offensive. "Your swordsmanship is exceptional. It doesn't seem to fit you, however," she said in a gentle tone. Her eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "I know for a fact you are not a Saber-class."   
  
The knight in red raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk. "You found me out already," he said in his deep voice. "Does that mean you'll let me go? I have no quarrel with you. Yet." He shifted the grip on his dual blades, reversing one.   
  
"I can't just let you leave. Stand and fight with honor!" the warrior in blue said as she lowered her blade, readying her next strike.   
  
The knight in red huffed in amusement. "Honor? What a trifling thing." He brought up his weapons up in preparation. "However, it seems you leave me no choice." The two rushed at one another, meeting in the middle in the blink of an eye. The shockwaves of the clash rustled the trees and grass around them.   
  
Two more people appeared at the edge of the clearing, both looking out of breath. They stared in horror as the fighters met again and again, the man managing to just barely dodge or block the woman's strikes despite her superior speed. The newcomers finally slowed their breathing enough for one of them to speak.   
  
"Why are you guys fighting? Please stop!" said the girl timidly. Her eyes filled with worry as she went unheeded. Her innocence was a stark contrast next to the intense battle. She longed to say more, but hesitation flickered across her face.   
  
The boy standing next to her raised his voice, aggravated, "Hey, didn't you guys hear her? She said to stop. I'm telling you to stop!" Still, the fight raged on. Whether they didn't hear his voice or chose to ignore him, he couldn't tell. His fists tightened in anger.   
  
The warrior in blue went for a horizontal slice, but she noticed the knight in red had gone for the block even before she had attacked. Ah, I see what you're doing, she thought. Impossibly, she spun on her foot and reversed her momentum, bringing the sword around and swinging from the opposite direction she had originally attacked from. The knight moved his other blade to intercept, but he knew he couldn't react in time.   
  
The girl's eyes widened as she yelled, "No!" She seemed rooted to the ground in shock.   
  
The boy took a step forward from the treeline and reached his right hand out. "SABER, STOP!" he cried. A red light flashed and the world seemed to freeze.   
  
0o0o0o0o0   
  
Daylight spilled from over the horizon upon Beacon Academy as the sun stretched its rays onto the new morning. Birds chirped and sang to the tune of wilderness. The silence between the fleeting sounds heavier than during the afternoon hustle of the city. Dew slid from the tops of window sills, trailing clearness across the foggy glass. The perfect picture to wake up to.   
  
The early bird gets the worm. An ancient proverb. Some preferred to wake up naturally and get the day started, while others preferred using an alarm clock. Team JNPR, however, had a unique method.   
  
"Wake up, Jaune! It's time for breakfast!" Nora shouted at a fully-covered, sleeping form. "C'mon sleepy head, it's only six o'clock." There was a muffled grunt from under the sheets. "Don't give me that, it's not that early. Right Pyrrha?" Her reply was another grunt from the other side of the room.   
  
"Nora, not everyone wakes up as early as you do," said Ren from where he sat cross legged on his bed. His eyes were closed in what seemed like peaceful meditation.   
  
"But they should be used to this by now, I do it every week," Nora pouted. Jaune threw the covers off himself, clearly irritated.   
  
"How does that make any sense?" he said, exasperated. Nora opened her mouth to start explaining but Jaune cut her off. "It doesn't, let me tell you right now." She went back to pouting and mumbled something under her breath. "I can't hear you, Nora," Jaune said.   
  
"I said that I just want to be first in line for pancakes." She puffed out her cheeks.   
  
Jaune sat up on his bed and sighed. "Okay, okay, I'm up. Pyrrha, let's go or Nora's gonna explode." He turned and saw his partner already in her uniform. "Wha-I mean you were-the bed and...weren't you asleep?" he sputtered.   
  
Pyrrha titled her head sideway as if explaining the obvious. "I get ready fast, Jaune. You know this." She smiled good-naturedly.   
  
"Are you fast, or do you time travel?" he muttered under his breath as he got up to get clothed. As he finished putting on his uniform, he felt his right hand throb slightly. He scratched the back of his fist as an afterthought. Team JNPR headed out and soon ended up in the very empty cafeteria.   
  
"PANCAKES!" yelled Nora as she sped to the non-existent line. She began animatedly bargaining with a tired-looking woman, presumably to strike a deal for the maximum amount of pancakes possible.   
  
Her teammates joined her and they all got their food, albeit sluggishly. Jaune just accepted anything that was slopped down on his plate without looking, resting his eyes for as long as he could between the intervals of agonising pain that was light itself.   
  
Nora spent a long minute deciding where the team would sit in the very empty row of tables. Jaune whimpered and prayed to whatever cruel pancake god that he would be a more devout follower if he could just get some more sleep next time.   
  
They finally found an apparently suitable spot and began eating. Nora recounted her dream from last night with her mouth half full. Jaune struggled to keep up and dozed off, only catching every couple of sentences. After one particularly lengthy nap, he woke up to find the cafeteria full, Team RWBY sitting around them and chatting with the rest of JNPR. He blinked a couple times to expel the crusty feeling behind his eyes and it managed to work a bit.   
  
Ruby, who had taken a seat next to Jaune, looked at him with surprise. "Oh, you're finally up. You okay there?" She tried to smile but the worry still bled through her expression.   
  
Jaune smiled half-heartedly. "I'm fine, Ruby. I just stayed up late last night to finish some of Port's homework." His smile turned rueful. "I really should stop procrastinating on that stuff."   
  
Ruby patted him on the shoulder and smiled more genuinely. "You know you can always ask me for help, right?" Jaune nodded but kept quiet, opting to rest his eyes a bit more. Only a few minutes seemed to pass, but he heard the first bell for classes and groaned.   
  
"Let's go, lover-boy, we're all waiting for you," teased Yang. He looked around and saw his friends all staring at him. He got up lethargically.   
  
"Sorry guys, just a bit tired is all." It seemed to ease their minds, and everyone started heading toward Professor Port's class.   
  
The class went by as usual, which meant Port rambling on about some adventure he had in his youth. How he had single-handedly slaughtered an entire pack of Ursai with no weapon and a broken ankle. Just usual stuff.   
  
Jaune struggled to keep awake, but was determined to at least get something out of the class. At the very least some insight into a real hunter's mindset, no matter how warped from reality that mindset was. In the end, his attempt was for naught, as he struggled to even remember a single sentence the professor had said.   
  
"I actually feel more tired than when I walked in, if that's even possible," Jaune said as he trudged alongside his friends to their next class.   
  
Weiss huffed. "Professor Port is an experienced hunter and you should cling onto every word he says to gain better-"   
  
"Insight into how a real mission could go," interrupted Yang. "Yes, we know Weiss-cream, you say this every time someone complains about the class." Weiss huffed indignantly and crossed her arms.   
  
"Don't worry, Jaune, I don't remember most of it either," said Ren as they arrived at the locker rooms to change into battle gear for their next class.   
  
"Thanks, buddy," said Jaune. They hurriedly got ready, and in a few minutes the two teams took their seats just as Professor Goodwitch stepped up to speak.   
  
"Hello, class. Today we'll be practicing fighting two on two. I will announce the partners, so please step down to the sparring area when you hear your name." The class murmured in anticipation; two on two fights were a rare sight in Goodwitch's class, mostly since that was practiced more often in second and third year classes. "The first pair will be Weiss Schnee and Lie Ren." The chatter grew. People who weren't partners being paired? It was a first for the class.   
  
"Quiet down, everyone," said Professor Goodwitch in a stern voice. "This is to improve your improvisational teamwork, a skill that is invaluable on a real mission where you could have to work with hunters not on your team." She looked back down to her scroll. "The second pair will be Blake Belladonna and Jaune Arc."   
  
Jaune turned to see Blake's reaction as she walked down to the sparring area, but she didn't seem upset. Then again, she could be mentally cursing up a storm for having a crappy partner. He got up to go but was stopped by a tug at the wrist. He looked down to see Pyrrha holding his sleeve.   
  
"Remember, Jaune, you two haven't practiced team moves, so to fight well with each other, you'll need to use logic, common sense, and rational thinking." She let go and smiled at him encouragingly. Jaune nodded in affirmation.   
  
As he passed by Ruby he leaned in to frantically whisper, "I have none of those things!" She shrugged an apology and Jaune facepalmed. Let's get this over with, he thought.   
  
He arrived next to Blake who stood across the arena from Ren and Weiss. Professor Goodwitch stepped in the middle and look at each team. "You'll have one minute to come up with a battle strategy. Starting... now!" Jaune saw Weiss huddle close to Ren as she fiercely whispered what could only be 'Plan Target The Weak Link Jaune So We Can Two-Versus-One Blake'.   
  
Blake turned to him but said nothing. A few seconds of silence passed by. "Alright, good plan team, let's go out there and get 'em," said Jaune. She raised an eyebrow. "What, you want me to make a plan?"   
  
She huffed. "You're the one who's a team leader, not me. I don't know much of your strengths and weaknesses, so just play around what you can do and I'll fill whatever role you need me to." That actually sounded pretty smart, so Jaune wracked his brain. He went through several possible scenarios, most involving him staying far away from Weiss just in case she wanted revenge for all the time's he'd called her Snow Queen.   
  
He finally settled on something and opened his mouth, but the professor beat him to it. "Time's up, the battle starts now!"   
  
Jaune stared in horror as Weiss and Ren rushed them. He had no time to convey even a couple words before he was forced to draw Crocea Mors and block a strike from Weiss. Blake jumped off to engage with Ren, the two dancing around each other with outstanding agility.   
  
Weiss went in for another strike, lower this time, to catch Jaune off guard, but he managed to bring his shield down quick enough to block it. He tried to swing at her, but Weiss had already speedily backed off using her glyphs. _Ok, I have to take that into consideration and swing faster, even if it costs me some power,_ thought Jaune. He had theorized they might have gone for him first to quickly take him out, but it seemed they were going for a divide-and-conquer route.   
  
That seemed to work in Jaune and Blake's favor, with the only caveat being that Weiss was far above his skill level. He just had to hold out until Blake could take care of Ren. _Sorry buddy, but right now my partner is Blake, and I need a good grade in this class._   
  
Weiss circled around him at high speed, using her glyphs to keep him trapped until she made a move. He tried to follow her with his eyes, but he grew dizzy, so he focused on waiting to react to her next attack.   
  
It came a few seconds later from directly behind him. The only reason he managed to swing around in time was that Weiss made the mistake of letting the glyphs in front of Jaune disappear before she struck. Clued into the general direction she was coming from, Jaune put all his power into a shield bash, not counting on being accurate enough with his sword to block or counterattack.   
  
His intuition proved correct as Weiss was struck and a good chunk of her aura was torn off. She flew from the force of the impact and skid to a halt half a dozen feet away. He had no time to celebrate, though, as he felt a pair of feet land a kick on his back, sending him flying face first into the ground.   
  
He turned to see Ren coming at him with pistols raised. Jaune brought his shield and immediately heard the bullets pelting it. He kept it raised and charged in the direction he remembered Ren coming from. He felt a pair of feet land on his shoulders and push off: Ren was using him as a springboard to dodge the shield rush. Jaune felt some bullets shave of his aura as they hit his back.   
  
He ran to the edge of the arena where Ren was and they traded blows for a few seconds. Jaune knew Ren's fighting style, having trained with and against it often, so he fared much better than against Weiss.   
  
Glyphs appeared next to Ren, who used the enhanced speed to run off in another direction completely away from Jaune. He looked to where Ren ended up, at the other side of the arena, where Weiss and Blake were duking it out. Jaune froze for a moment before he broke into a dead sprint.   
  
_Idiot! Of course they didn't want to do two one-on-ones and give us an advantage that even I could see. If I'm on the other side of the class, they can quickly take down Blake and leave me for easy pickings!_ He should've seen how glaringly obvious it was when Ren ran to the edge for seemingly no reason. He saw Blake struggling against the two opponents, both of whom were now faster thanks to Weiss' semblance. She managed to avoid being taken down instantly because of her own power, but her clones could only last her so long.   
  
As Blake turned to block a strike from Ren, she didn't see Weiss ready a dust-infused fireball from the side. Jaune pumped all his energy into his legs, knowing that if the fireball hit her, her aura would jump into the red for sure and he'd be left alone to face two opponents.   
  
Weiss shot the fireball, and deep in his gut, Jaune knew he couldn't make it in time. Time seemed to slow in the heat of the moment and he watched the attack barrel towards Blake, who still hadn't seen it.   
  
Jaune closed his eyes in frustration. _I wanted to become a hunter to protect people,_ he thought. _What's the point of all this if I can't even save my battle partner from one attack? Just once...just once, I want to be a hero, dammit!_   
  
He felt a tug somewhere deep within his mind and was hit with a sudden clarity of the world. In that moment, impossibly, he felt he could count the number of hairs on Blake's head from how far she was from him. He could describe the exact location of each bead and river of sweat on his body. In that deep recess of his mind where he felt the tug, he could almost hear a voice, but not clearly enough to understand what it said. Time seemed to move normally again and he burst forward faster than he'd ever run before.   
  
Blake turned her head just as Ren backed off and widened her eyes as the giant fire attack hurtled toward her faster than she could dodge. Even hiding behind a clone wouldn't save her from this. Before she could even bring her hands up to shield herself the flames were upon her. The moment before it struck, Jaune appeared in front of her from what seemed like nowhere, shield raised. The dust fireball hit, and her vision turned red and white as she was hurled back from the blast.   
  
She tumbled through the air for a second before landing hard, her aura taking the brunt of the damage. Her natural instincts kicked in and she rolled back up to her feet. She looked for Jaune and saw him lying in a heap a few dozen feet from where they were hit. His sword and shield lay even further than that.   
  
In a flurry of motion and panic, she ran to him, the rest of the world going unheeded. She kneeled down and shook him. "Jaune!?" she cried.   
  
For one horrifying moment there was nothing, then he groaned. "Five more minutes, Nora," he slurred. Blake breathed a sigh of relief, and then Weiss, Ren, and Professor Goodwitch were upon them.   
  
There was a lot of commotion but above it all Glynda Goodwitch used her strict voice and shouted, "Sit down, everyone! You three, he'll be fine, but take him to the infirmary to be treated for his injuries." They nodded and slung Jaune's arms around Ren and Blake's shoulders. Weiss collected Crocea Mors and they all headed to the nurse's office. The class was deathly silent as they left.   
  
The walk there was void of conversation. Ren looked at Jaune worriedly, Blake seemed determined to make sure he was okay, and Weiss had guilt painted all over her features. Jaune was barely able to walk with their assistance, but he seemed unsure of his surroundings. Groans escaped his lips from time to time, and with each one Weiss winced.   
  
They finally got to the nurse's office, and as soon as they walked in the head nurse burst into action. "What happened to him?" she asked.   
  
Weiss looked down in shame. Ren was trying to put it into words when Blake spoke up. "We were sparring in Professor Goodwitch's class, he jumped in front of a fire attack that was meant for me and was sent flying." Her expression hardened at the end, her voice laced with emotion.   
  
The nurse looked at all three of the students and nodded. She motioned for them to follow her into one of the patient rooms and lay Jaune on the pristine white bed in the middle. While they were laying him down, Jaune sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth and arched his back in pain. His hand shot up to his side, hovering over but not touching.   
  
The nurse appeared beside him, going through some basic diagnostics. Ren, Blake, and Weiss stood aside in the corner, anxiousness manifesting itself differently in all of them. Blake stood ramrod straight and seemed hyper-focused on everything the nurse was doing to Jaune. Ren fidgeted and seemed unsure where to look. Weiss was the worst, biting her nails and tapping her foot at a worrisome pace.   
  
A nerve-wracking ten minutes passed by until the nurse finally turned around with a weary sigh. The group jumped on her like wolves, bombarding her with questions.   
  
"Is he okay?"   
  
"What's the damage?"   
  
"How's he doing?"   
  
The nurse held up her palms, silencing them. "He's fine. Besides a slight concussion, it's mostly just scrapes and bruises. His right side is where he seemed to take the fall head-on, so he'll have to keep any pressure off of it for a couple days. Other than that, he'll be fine with a night's rest here at the infirmary." She brought a finger to her cheek and thought for a moment. "I'll keep him until tomorrow afternoon to make sure." The nurse turned away and left, the click-clack of her high heels fading away as the door shut behind her.   
  
The three teens visibly relaxed, though Weiss still kept a worried expression. She slumped into one of the chairs in the corner, arms and legs splayed in every direction. "I think my resting heart rate has permanently increased."   
  
Ren rested his back against the wall, nodding in agreement. Blake took the seat right next to the bed, her intense gaze on Jaune's still figure. Her fingers curled into a fist, her eyes narrowing the longer she stared. Suddenly, she clicked her tongue and turned her head to the side.   
  
Ren raised an eyebrow but said nothing. A moment passed without words. "I think it best we returned to class and informed Professor Goodwitch about Jaune's whereabouts." The others looked to him. Weiss hummed in agreement, while Blake simply stood up and started walking out the door. Being the last one to leave, Ren dimmed the lights and closed the door quietly.   
  
And just like that, Jaune was left asleep with nothing but shadows to accompany his dreams.   
  
0o0o0o0o0  
  
_ Violet lightning poured down from a sea of clouds that blocked the sky. A purple haze permeated the very air itself. Jaune's eyes widened as dark shapes slithered just beyond the clouds. Bolts struck the earth around him as he ran. He felt rather than saw someone running next to him. What he was running from, he didn't know, but fear clutched at his heart so tightly that he dared not turn around.   
  
He suddenly felt the person beside him tackle him to the ground, and before he could think to ask why, a beam of purple lightning struck where they had been not one second ago. His heart pounding and blood pumping, he rolled over to see what they had been running from. A twisted tower loomed above him, stretching into the sky. A dark shape rose from behind the spire, enveloping the giant structure in a behemoth shadow.   
  
Through the haze, he saw three red orbs lined up horizontally. They seemed to fly closer until the clouds parted to reveal they were the eyes of a massive dragon. Rows upon rows of teeth jutting this way and that. Two wicked horns adorned the beast's head. It reared back and let loose an ear-shattering roar that Jaune felt in the deepest pit of his bones.   
  
The person next to him said something that he didn't hear. He opened his mouth to speak, to ask what was going on, but with a crystalline voice that wasn't his, he murmured, "It's all over…", before the world faded to black. _   
  
0o0o0o0o0   
  
Jaune awoke to the sound of a steady heart monitor. It was an odd contrast to the pounding he had felt in his chest a few moments ago. At least it had felt like a few moments. Who knew how long had passed since his strange dream had ended? _Felt more like a nightmare,_ he thought.   
  
Why had he been sleeping? He had been in the middle of a spar, running towards Blake when-   
  
The memories of the last few seconds before he was knocked unconscious returned in a rush of clarity, like a bucket of ice cold water washing down his back. He groaned, realizing he and Blake had lost the fight.   
  
He took stock of his surroundings, quickly realizing he was at the school infirmary. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, pausing midway when he felt a spike of pain on his right side. After some exploring, he found a switch on the handle of the bed that allowed him to shift the top half higher so he could comfortably sit up.   
  
Jaune pulled his scroll out of his pocket and checked the time. A wave of exhaustion hit him when he saw it was two in the morning. He lay his head back and stared up at the ceiling. Thoughts of the fight swirled around in a torrent of regret. He should have been stronger, or faster, or smarter, or, at the very least, out of the way. But because he had wanted to be a big damn hero, not only had he gotten injured, they had lost and most likely gotten a bad score. _I'll need to apologize to Blake when I can,_ was Jaune's last thought before he drifted back into a deep sleep.   
  
More dreams of a violet light piercing the sky, of a broken world on fire, of beloved comrades dead, and of a timeline lost. Battle after battle, darkness consuming the world, but a different darkness than the Grimm. Jaune couldn't make heads or tails of it. A second stretched to eternity and a thousand years felt like one moment. Time had no bearing in dreams. Jaune woke up again in a sweat, trying to recall details, but unlike the first time, he failed to remember anything significant.   
  
Checking his scroll again, he saw he had slept through breakfast and lunch. There was a tray to his left with some roast beef, bread, and a tall glass of water. The meat had cooled and the drink was room temperature, but Jaune scarfed it down to fill his complaining stomach.   
  
A quick message to his friends told them he was awake, and it was not much longer when Nora burst into the room, tears streaming down her face.   
  
"You're alive!" she cried hysterically. She ran forward started to crush the remaining life out of him, but before he could stammer out a reply, Ren had opened up her death grip and moved her to the side. Jaune felt his ribs creak as they adjusted back to where they were supposed to be.   
  
"Hehe, yea, I don't think one fireball in a sparring match could do in anyone with Aura," said Jaune. "That'd be a pretty dumb way to go." He shrugged lamely.   
  
It only took a couple of minutes before the room was filled with both Team RWBY and Team JNPR. Nora was chatting away, describing the fight in exaggerated detail, pausing every couple of words to say how cool it had been. Jaune was pretty sure there had been no lava or tightrope balancing, however.   
  
Ruby caught Jaune up on what subjects he had missed in today's classes. "Oh, and I almost forgot! Tonight we're going on a trip into Emerald Forest with Professor Oobleck. It's to give us a taste of how real huntsman and huntresses sometimes get missions to find ancient artifacts."   
  
"Yea, the prof said you could come since you're being released right before we head out," said Yang as she winked. "Besides, we'll be in team pairs, so you'll be safe."   
  
Pyrrha came up beside his bed and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You should get some rest, the nurse said you still have a little before she'll let you go." Jaune nodded and gave her a smile. The two teams started emptying out one by one, but not everyone left with the group.   
  
Weiss gingerly stepped up next to Jaune with her fingers fidgeting. "Umm, hey there, pal." She winced at her own wording and looked to the side.   
  
The corner of Jaune's mouth curved up slightly. "Hey, uh, buddy?" He paused and his head tilted to the side in confusion. "Why are we talking like this?"   
  
Weiss facepalmed and groaned. "Because it's my fault that you're lying in a hospital bed having missed a day and a half of classes." Jaune leaned back, shock plastered over his face. Words tried and failed to form. "I shouldn't have used as much Dust as I did, and I should have aimed it a little off so it didn't hit directly, and it was just a sparring match so what was I thinking shooting a giant fireball at my own teammate in the first place and-"   
  
"Weiss!" said Jaune, cutting her off. "It's fine, really. Don't beat yourself up over it." He grinned, but she still looked distressed.   
  
She started again, "But-"   
  
"No buts! I'm serious. All you're doing is making me feel bad, too." Jaune gave her a meaningful look. "Please?" She kept his gaze for a moment, then looked away, relenting.   
  
"Fine," she said, and in a smaller and slightly more ominous voice, "but don't think this will be the end of it." She spun, walked out, and slammed the door before he could try to change her mind. Jaune had a gut feeling he would not like the end of _it_ , whatever _it_ was, and however _it_ ended.   
  
He sighed and was about to resign himself to a lonely few hours when he noticed Blake was still in the room. She had her arms crossed and an intense look in her eyes. Jaune gulped. "Uhh, what's up, Blake?"   
  
She didn't respond, opting to instead glare him down. Jaune sighed in disappointment. "Look, I'm sorry. I messed up, we lost, and you got a bad grade because of me. I'll make it up to you, I swear!"   
  
Blake's eyes widened, her anger flaring up. "You think I care about the grade, Jaune?" she snapped. He winced, her use of his name somehow making it worse. "Why did you jump in front of me?"   
  
The question caught him off guard. He stammered, "You, you were about to get hit, and I have a shield, and... and you're a better fighter, so I thought you might be able to take them on by yourself even if I, y'know even if I gottakenoutandIwasn'treallythinkingand-". He paused to take a deep breath but didn't continue when Blake's face told him it had probably been a rhetorical question.   
  
Blake unfolded her arms and took purposeful strides towards him, each click of her shoes making Jaune recede further into his raised bed. She stopped right next to him and loomed close enough that he could smell her breath. "Next time you want to play the hero, why don't you think about how others might feel if you get hurt on their behalf." She whispered, but her voice resonated deep within Jaune's soul. His face was slack, his mind blank. Words struggled to formulate in his mind, let alone on his tongue.   
  
She straightened and turned to walk out, but paused halfway through the door. "You told Weiss not to beat herself up over it, yet you did the same thing right after without even thinking about it. Don't you see the hypocrisy in that?" This time, her eyes were filled with melancholy.   
  
The sound of the door shutting was incomparably loud to the silence that followed it. It was a silence that lasted until the nurse came hours later to tell Jaune he could leave. But the words said in that room didn't leave him. Somehow, Jaune knew they wouldn't leave him for the rest of his life.   
  
0o0o0o0o0   
  
Jaune walked sullenly to his room. Before he opened the door, he composed himself. He didn't want anyone worrying about him more than they already had. When he walked in, his team greeted him with enthusiasm. A little too much enthusiasm in Nora's case. But that was normal. For Nora, at least.   
  
Jaune excused himself before any real conversation could start and headed to the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes so he could take a shower. He barely noticed the weight of armor leaving him, as it was paltry compared to the heaviness he felt in his chest. The initially cold spray of water quickly warmed up, but Jaune barely even noticed the temperature.   
  
A hypocrite? Is that what he was? All Jaune wanted was to protect others. He wasn't asking to save everyone, just the people he could reach out and save with his own strength. There couldn't possibly be something wrong with a dream that beautiful. Could there? The more he thought, the more he went in circles, and the more his head started to hurt.   
  
As still as a stone statue, Jaune stood there until he realized he didn't know how long had passed since he had walked into the shower. That was a big indicator that it had probably been a while. The water turned off, new clothes put on, and armor re-equipped, Jaune exited the bathroom no wiser than he had entered. Which was usually how normal people exited bathrooms. Usually.   
  
Team JNPR was ready to head out. They met up with Team RWBY in the hallway and walked to the docking bay where the class was supposed to gather for take-off into Emerald Forest. They were the last ones to arrive, Professor Oobleck having just started to list off his instructions at high speed.   
  
"Remember class, you will be dropped off at a random point in the forest with your two teams. Grimm presence is low, but can vary and is always a factor," said Oobleck. "Look for ruins, caves, and the like and search them for any artifacts. What the definition of artifact is, I shall leave up to your discretion. That will be a part of your grade. Any questions?" No hands were raised. "Alrighty then, get in your pre-designated Bullheads. Your pilots know where to take you. Good luck, students!"   
  
The designation of aircrafts must have been done earlier today in class when he was still in the infirmary. His team seemed to know where to go, so he just followed them. They arrived at their Bullhead and settled in without much fuss.   
  
As soon as Jaune felt the aircraft take off, his motion sickness sucker punched him in the stomach. He groaned and bent forward in his seat when he felt a hand rub his back in circles. The only person who was next to him was Ren, and Jaune thanked him silently.   
  
Luckily the ride was shorter than Jaune thought it would be. They touched down and the hatch opened, the eight students filing outside. As soon as they were all out, the Bullhead took off, and was soon a speck in the horizon.   
  
Ruby turned to Jaune. "The game plan we made in class is to spread out enough to cover some ground but also stay within each other's sight. You okay with that?" He didn't feel like talking too much, so he just nodded. Ruby seemed to sense something was off, but didn't vocalise her thoughts. The others started organizing who would be where, and Jaune just let them take charge.   
  
The line they formed started with Ren on one end, then Nora, Weiss, Ruby, Pyrrha, Yang, Jaune, and finally Blake at the other end. Jaune could just barely see Blake and Yang's forms to his left and right. They must have covered almost a quarter mile or more altogether.   
  
Jaune heard the signal from Ruby and started walking. The occasional shrub or tree forced him to maneuver around, but it was a relatively boring march. In the far distance he could see a row of hills and mountains inching closer with every step he took.   
  
It didn't take long for Jaune to get bored. There was only so much of the color green you could look at before it all started to blend together. It came to a point where Jaune didn't even notice the passage of time. He only realized it had gotten much darker when he almost tripped over a branch he would have easily been able to see when they had first set out.   
  
Jaune heard rustling to his side and was about to pull out Crocea Mors when he noticed Blake gracefully walking towards him. Her face was adorned with its normal passive expression.   
  
"It's getting dark. The pickup time should be soon, so let's head over and group up with the others." Jaune nodded, his face pensive. He turned to follow her as she passed by him, his eyes dropping, unable to meet hers. They walked in silence for a few moments. Jaune had worked up enough courage to finally speak up about what she had said earlier, but he bumped into something that appeared right in front of him.   
  
"Blake? Any reason you stopped walking?" Jaune complained. "You're not a brick wall or anything, but you're not exactly soft, either." He leaned to the side to look at her face.   
  
That's when he noticed her drawn weapon. He followed her glare and just barely made out moving shapes in the darkness, red eyes floating about. Red eyes. A spiral tower. Wings that spanned the sky. Teeth. Endless teeth.   
  
A sharp spike of pain drilled into Jaune's head. He cried out in agony as he doubled over. Blake barely had time to turn and see what was wrong with him before the first Beowolf lunged from the shadows. A quick roll to the side, a flourish with Gambol Shroud, and the creature of Grimm no longer had a head.   
  
The pain in Jaune's head quickly lowered to a manageable level. The initial burst might have been the worst thing he had ever felt in his life. His right hand itched fiercely, but he ignored it and drew his weapon, going back to back with Blake.   
  
The others of the pack prowled out into their vision, forming a loose circle around the pair. The darkness seemed to shimmer off their coats, moonlight reflecting off their bone-white masks. To Jaune and Blake's side, just at the edge of both their visions, a hulking brute of a Beowolf lumbered out from behind a tree. The Alpha had sensed prey and come out to play.   
  
"So, any ideas on how to live?" Jaune whimpered.   
  
"Didn't I already tell you," replied Blake in a half-joking tone, "that you're the one who's a team leader?"   
  
Almost at once, a half dozen of the Grimm leapt forward. Half went for Jaune, and the others for Blake. Jaune focused on the three in front of him, trusting that Blake could handle herself better than he could.   
  
The first creature to come in melee range was met with a shield to the face, sending it flying. Jaune used his shield to block the next one's swipe, going for the thing's side with his sword. He felt resistance and heard a roar of pain that told him his aim was true. The thing backed off, slightly dazed, and Jaune took the opportunity to stab its head, finishing it off.   
  
He ran towards the last one, covering the distance in a split second. Shield raised to block the initial strike, he crouched underneath the beast and pushed it over him. The Grimm landed on its back, making it easy pickings for a quick thrust from Crocea Mors.   
  
The first one came back around to attack him. Jaune blocked an overhead strike and sliced the thing's arm off, it's head quickly following.   
  
Jaune turned to see how Blake was faring, but his sight of her was blocked by the looming figure of the Alpha Beowolf bearing down on him. Instinct kicked in, and with it a rush of fear. He knew this was something he couldn't defeat, even if Blake helped.   
  
So he did the only thing he thought would work. He turned and ran, barely managing to slip past the ring of regular Grimm. He looked back briefly to check that the Alpha was following him, and regretted it immediately. Looking back cost him time. Looking back was scary. Looking back meant seeing a twelve-foot Alpha barreling towards him on all fours.   
  
He faced forward and pumped his legs to work as fast as they could. If he could just get the Alpha away from Blake, he could hide and double back once it lost him. At least, that was the plan. It was hard to think of any plans with the sound of an Alpha Grimm running behind you, which was not the most pleasant of noises. Jaune now knew this through very, very, personal experience.   
  
A minute of constant sprinting passed, and it began to take a toll on Jaune. _I have to find somewhere I can hide,_ he thought frantically.   
  
Before he could start his search, the angle of the ground started to rise considerably, until the trees broke to reveal the line of small mountains Jaune had seen when they had first started the artifact hunt. Directly in front of him was a large cave that bore into the nearest hill.   
  
Without any hesitation, Jaune sprinted into the cave. He fumbled for his scroll while he was running and turned on the built-in flashlight so he could see in the dank cavern. The sounds of the Alpha were getting further behind him, telling him he was gaining ground on the beast.   
  
The cave seemed to go on for a while, then suddenly split off into several pathways. Jaune picked a random one and kept running, knowing that every second could cost him. The smacking of his shoes against the wet ground were the loudest noise in the world. He hoped the Beowolf couldn't pinpoint his location with it.   
  
After a couple more seconds of running, Jaune came upon a strange opening in the side of the tunnel. After a second, Jaune realized it looked man-made. He took step after tepid step into what seemed like a small, but long room.   
  
Jaune delved deeper. It only took a couple of seconds to reach the end of the room, On the floor was a worn drawing. As he got closer, Jaune noticed it was a circle. A seven-pointed star sat in the middle, weird symbols and text adorning the entire thing. It seemed to be made of a blue chalk.   
  
That was about all the info Jaune could glean before he heard a roar that echoed throughout the room. Slowly, he turned. The Alpha had found him. He was trapped and the beast knew it. It advanced slowly.   
  
Jaune dropped his scroll, its bright light illuminating the room from the floor. He raised his weapon and shield, but the beast swatted them out of his hands with a flick of its paw. Crocea Mors in its entirety skidded to a stop near the wall, well beyond Jaune's reach. Blood dripped to the floor from his right forearm, where one of the beast's claws had grazed him. Already exhausted from running, Jaune knew his Aura had dropped considerably. Definitely enough for any attack from the powerful Grimm to rend flesh and bone.   
  
Jaune's heart froze. He shakily took a step back and fell, his own legs failing to support him. He was going to die. In a dark cave, with no one around. No one to save him. No one to even witness it. His body would lie in this cave until he was nothing but a rotting skeleton. Unless of course, the Alpha decided to eat him. Jaune really hoped he was dead before that started.   
  
A short life. A meaningless life. A disappointment to all and a hero to none. Not even a hero to one.   
  
Deep inside Jaune's mind, a spark ignited. His hands stopped shaking and he sat up straighter from where he had fallen. "I'm not going to die here," he whispered. He clenched his fist, a droplet of blood spilling onto the drawing.   
  
"I can't die here," he said, louder. Faces of his friends and family flashed before him. "I still have responsibilities I need to fill, debts that I owe."   
  
The Beowolf raised its paw for the finishing blow. Jaune's eyes hardened. The back of his right hand burned with the intensity of the fire in his heart.   
  
"I need to live so I can be a hero!" Jaune yelled." To somebody! To anybody!" A red light flashed to his right, emanating from his hand. Behind him, a blue radiance seemed to pulsate from the circle. The Alpha swung. Jaune felt something connect. There was a burst of light and flash of steel.   
  
The next thing Jaune saw was the Alpha's head drop to the side, its body falling backwards with a loud thump. Between him and the now-dead Beowolf stood a blue-clad warrior in a flowing cape, a sword held with both hands. Jaune's savior turned to face him, revealing an elegant blue mask covering their eyes.   
  
"I ask of you," she said with the crystalline voice from his dreams, "are you my Master?"

 

0o0o0o0o0

**Author's Note:**

> Welp there it is. I wanted it to be exactly how it was when I first posted it, flaws/mistakes and all, so I didn't changed anything, just copied and pasted essentially. I originally posted this in late 2017, and I've grown as a writer a bit since then (hopefully), so don't judge it too harshly.
> 
> One important thing to note (for those of you who are familiar with Fate/stay night) is that all the Servants will be from other media types, like a mega crossover, so your favorite character from another series might just pop up in this story! Like I said at the beginning, I'm new to posting on AO3, so let me know if I need to do something differently, or if I'm doing alright. I have the next 5 chapters posted on ff.net already, so expect regular updates for those. After that...well, it's really up to my muse when I update at that point.
> 
> I encourage everyone to try and guess the identity of the warrior that Jaune summoned. I've given a couple hints throughout, including the chapter name. I'd love to hear who you think it is!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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